Don't Try This At Home/Hair Color Catastrophe

I got my hair cut yesterday and made the realization that I have few grey hairs. Yuck!

In my mind, they were the leftover blond hairs from the summer; you know how when you are young and your hair lightens from being at the pool and lake all summer. Well, I guess I'm not so young anymore. I have grey hair mixed into my ever darkening blond/brown hair.

I decided last night that I would take my hair into my own hands and color it; to cover the grey and get my hair an all-over-color. I used to highlight my hair regularly before children. Before dance classes, boy scouts, preschool and ever needing to be replaced shoes/coats/clothes took over the hair care extra budget. I mean seriously; $95 for hair color that costs $5.95-8.00 at the store.

My mom used to give me at home perms. I loved them. Hated the smell and the no wash rule for 2 days, but I think I figured I could duplicate her hair skills.

Hmmmm. Maybe not!!!!

I choose a Light Ash Brown. It made my hair the color of black licorice. Not exactly what I was going for this morning at 7:00 a.m. when I started this adventure. The beautiful woman on the Loreal box looked just like I wanted to look. Young, hip, and with flowing brown hair with streaks of sunshine mixed in. I looked old, Dracula-ish with streaks of tar mixed in. So much for advertising!!!!

I called the handy dandy 800 number to find out what to do. I admitted I had not done the strand test, but that it certainly did not look like me in the mirror or the girl on the box. Quick fix buy two new hair colors wait for my hair to turn apple red, then apply more till it's pumpkin orange, then apply the next color and keep waiting. It was 10 a.m. before I was done with this little adventure. My husband asked if I would stop at the Hardware Store on my way home. Was he kidding? No way was I going to allow anyone to see me as Elvira.

Today my hair looks auburn. Not red, or brown, but a mixture. It's not me yet, but its a lot closer to me than me of 7:00 a.m. this morning. It's even closer to me than the grey hairs I found yesterday at the salon.

Warning, if you are suddenly inspired to take up home hair color/hair care think again. I'm sure I took a few years of my life today with stress over my hair. I should have gone to the expert, spent the time and money at the salon and saved myself a few more grey hairs. These words from a sermon a few weeks back rang in my head this morning during a moment of sanity.

Matthew 6:25-29
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Maybe I should insert the word "hair" to this list. God I know that "this" doesn't matter. I could have gone to church tomorrow in rags, with dracula hair or body beat up from the world and you would have welcomed me with open arms. Lord help me to look at the world with these eyes.

But I'll tell you it's hard not to give into the flesh and try to convince my kids to stop growing so I could maybe keep the greys away for good. Seems like a fair trade as before them I had perfectly blond hair perfectly coiffed.

(Edited to note: If you know me in real person pretend you didn't read this post. Not that anyone reads these posts anyway!)